Director of Monash’s Centre for Medicine Use and Safety named Victorian Pharmacist of the Year
Monash’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is proud that Professor Simon Bell has been named Victorian Pharmacist of the Year by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).
Professor Bell is the Director of the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety which sits within the Faculty. Each year, the PSA presents the Victorian Pharmacist of the Year award to a pharmacist who has made impressive contributions to the profession and the health of their communities.
With the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety shining a light on the prevalence of avoidable medicine-related harm, Professor Bell led the development of Australia’s new Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medications in People Living with Dementia and in Residential Aged Care.
He has led a series of large National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Medical Research Future Fund projects investigating new pharmacist services to improve the quality use of medicines for people living with dementia. This includes new services to simplify complex medication regimens, act as knowledge brokers to implement new clinical practice guidelines, and optimise the function of medication advisory committees.
He has a strong commitment to research capacity building, having mentored 16 successful PhD candidates, many of whom have gone on to accept senior clinical and academic roles. He is also a strong advocate for consumer engagement in research, including as a former NHMRC Dementia Leadership Fellow and member of the Dementia Australia Research Foundation Scientific Panel.
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Deputy Dean Professor Paul White has congratulated Professor Bell on this considerable achievement.
“Simon is a national and international leader in advocating for new pharmacist services in residential aged care facilities,” said Professor White.
“On behalf of the Faculty I would like to extend a warm congratulations to Simon for this well-deserved recognition. His contribution to medicine use and safety across multiple areas of our healthcare system, particularly aged care, has been significant.”
Over the past several years, the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety has expanded rapidly with a series of new funded projects and staff appointments related to Australia’s newest National Health Priority Area: Quality Use of Medicines and Medicine Safety.
PSA is the only Australian Government-recognised peak national professional pharmacy organisation representing all of Australia’s 36,000 pharmacists working in all sectors and across all locations.